Clothing processing apparatus

Abstract

A clothing processing apparatus includes a drum including a cylindrical-shaped drum body, front cover a rear cover, and a drum inlet through the front cover, a stationary panel spaced apart from the rear cover, a power transmission including a housing fixed to the stationary panel, an input shaft, an output shaft through the stationary panel, and a gear, and a motor including a stator and a rotor. The drum body, the rear cover, and the front cover are made of the same material, and the thickness of the drum body is configured to be smaller than the thickness of the rear cover and the thickness of the front cover.

1 . A clothing processing apparatus comprising:
 a drum comprising:   a drum body having a cylindrical shape with two opposing sides open;   a front cover arranged to close one of the open sides of the drum body to define a front surface of the drum body;   a rear cover arranged to close the other one of the open sides of the drum body to define a rear surface of the drum body; and   a drum inlet formed through the front cover in a penetrating manner to communicate with an interior of the drum body;   a fixing panel apart from the rear cover;   a power transmitter comprising:   a housing fixed to the fixing panel;   an input shaft with one end located outside the housing and another end located inside the housing;   an output shaft with one end formed to pass through the fixing panel and fixed to the rear cover and another end positioned inside the housing; and   a gear unit disposed inside the housing to transmit rotational motion of the input shaft to the output shaft; and   a motor comprising:   a stator fixed to the fixing panel or the housing to form a rotating magnetic field; and   a rotor rotated by the rotor, the one end of the input shaft being fixed to the rotor,   wherein the drum body, the rear cover, and the front cover are formed of a same material, and a thickness of the drum body is set to be less than a thickness of the rear cover and a thickness of the front cover.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the fixing panel is set to be greater than the thickness of the rear cover. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a ring-shaped panel bent portion formed by bending the fixing panel in a direction toward the rear cover or in a direction away from the rear cover to surround the output shaft.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the panel bent portion is formed by bending the fixing panel in the direction toward the fixing panel,
 wherein the housing is positioned inside the panel bent portion.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a drum bent portion formed by bending the rear cover in a direction toward the front cover or in a direction toward the fixing panel, the output shaft being fixed to the drum bent portion.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, among the thickness of the drum body, the thickness of the rear cover, and the thickness of the front cover, the thickness of the front cover is set to be the greatest. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, among the thickness of the drum body, the thickness of the rear cover, and the thickness of the front cover, the thickness of the rear cover is set to be the greatest. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a drum support rotatably supporting a circumferential surface of the front cover or a circumferential surface of the drum body.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the input shaft and the output shaft form a concentric axis,
 wherein the input shaft and the output shaft are parallel to a ground.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the input shaft and the output shaft form a concentric axis,
 wherein the input shaft and the output shaft are inclined at an angle of less than 90 degrees with respect to a ground.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the housing comprises:
 a housing base provided with an input shaft through-hole allowing the input shaft to be arranged therethrough in a penetrating manner;   an input shaft support provided to the housing base to surround the input shaft through-hole;   a housing circumferential surface extending from an edge of the housing base toward the fixing panel to define an accommodation space, the gear unit being mounted in the accommodation space;   a cover body fixed to the housing circumferential surface to close the accommodation space;   an output shaft through-hole formed through the cover body in a penetrated manner, the output shaft being inserted into the output shouted through-hole;   an output shaft support protruding from the cover body toward the fixing panel to surround the output shaft through-hole; and   an oil leakage preventer configured to prevent lubricating oil supplied to the gear unit from being discharged from the accommodation space.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the oil leakage preventer comprises:
 a first sealing portion disposed to seal a space between the input shaft support and the input shaft;   a second sealing portion disposed to seal a space between the output shaft support and the output shaft; and   a third sealing portion disposed to seal a space between the housing circumferential surface and the cover body.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a cover fixing plate provided on the housing circumferential surface, the cover fixing plate extending away from the housing circumferential surface in a radial direction of the input shaft through-hole such that the cover body is fixed to the cover fixing plate,   wherein the third sealing portion comprises:   a ring-shaped sealing protrusion protruding from the cover body toward the cover fixing plate; and   a ring-shaped accommodation groove provided in the cover fixing plate, the sealing protrusion being accommodated in the accommodation groove.